New Ulm weekly review., 1887-03-02

but how I Ihardly know to this day,
Burns so managed to slacken the rope
that was enabled to scramble up on
the arete again, and then the three of
us set to work to haul up Franz. It
was not an easy matter, but present.
~ an ashen face appeared over the
edge, and, with some help from him
self, we succeeded in raising Franz to
a position beside us.
He was badly shaken, and the hor-
ror of the situation, as we'll as it might
had clearly affected his nerves. Until
rescued his life literarly hung upon a
thread; for he had remained suspend
ed over an awful precipice many
thousand feet in height, with nothing
but the rope around his waist be-
tween him and certain obstruction.
his face was very white, and small
wound on his forehead, from which
the blood was slowly trickling, gave
him g. CHASTITY appearance but there
was a strange look in his eyes as he
clasped my hands and exclaimed, with
all the energy of deep gratitude:
"Herr, you have saved my life.
|
this: You will one day be in difficulty
in danger; but fear not, Franz will be
there, and he will have come to save
your life"
He was greatly excited, and it was
to this tnat felt inclined to attribute
his words; but yet there was strange
earnestness in the manner be spoke
which impressed me deeply in spite of
myself, and with an inward PRESENT.
men5 / can call it nothing else) that
some day or other they would newt
ably come true.
! From what we learned subsequent
ly it appeared that, in spite OF Franz
precautions, our upward track had
IN one place passed over a portion OF
the cornice. Franz had become aware
OF this, but in trying to avoid the
danger in the descent had brought
abont the very thing he feared, the
touch of the axe of which doubled up
bounded down the mountain side,
carrying Franz along with it. AS q
matter OF fact, it was very narrow
escape for all OF us; for had any other
member ot. the party gone through
the snow as we'll as Franz, the others
could not have held, and must have
been dragged down too. shuddered
involuntarily as I gazed into the abyss
into which we would have fallen, and
thought that there would not have
been much left of us by the time we
reached the bottom.
Two days later said good. by to
Franz, who seemed to be getting we'll
over his accident, and made my way
back to England, leaving Burns to
carry on a career of conquest which
the admirable weather up to the close
OF the season gave MIN every facility
for doing.
When took leave OF Franz that
time at the Riffel did not think that
l should nevermOre set eyes on him.
Did say nevermore? Yes snevermore,
at least in this life.
1t was in December of that same
year that I heard of Franz's death.
He fell a victim to his passion tor
chamois hunting. 1t appeared that
he had been out one day after heavy
fall of snow, and had perished in an
avalanche, his body being swept away
no one knew whittier. Nothing but
his hat and the shattered remains of
his rifle, indeed, we're ever found of
him again, and it was only by their
recovery that it was guessed what his
fate had been. .... 5..s --.'-
To lose Franz was like losing an old
friend. Sadly Thought over his many,
admiral qualities, qualities so seldo m
combined in one OF his class. His truth
and honesty, his cheerfulness and good
nature, his skill, his courage in mo-
ments OF danger, and then called to
mind tf.at last expedition which we
took together, (pity it should have
been the lastly and how near the end
had been that day 10 what pur-
pose had his life been spared but these
few months longer? And as thought,
of a sudden those words OF his came
back to me with a force positively
startling.
"You will one day be in difficulty,
in danger, but fear not. Franz
will be there, and he will have
come to save your life" Poor
fellow! 1t was scarce worth while to
think about it. Unless the grave
gave up it's dead, Franz could nev-
er now redeem his promise.
~ 3',@ PART IL.
It had been showing heavily all the
morning. Matters were beginning to
look serious. Midday among the gla-
ciers in the most awful weather, and
not one member Of the party in the
least conscious of our bearings, was a
prospect, to say the least, not very
reassuring! A dense mist hanging
over us, heavy snow in the sky, heav-
ier snow underfoot, a wilderness Of
white on all sides and no prospect of
any improvements Such was our po-.
sition on August Is, 188-.
For five years subsequent to our
adventure on the Lyskamm l had
not been to the Alps. Increase of
work and the dislike of having to get
a strange guide in Franz's place had
kept me away; but with the old love
OF the mountains still strong within
me, had gravitated once more TO my
old campaigning ground. | had en-
gagged no regular guide for the season,
for my days for vigorous climbing